…the EEDC N100m lawsuit against Obi, seeks damages over actions connected to a street protest in 2019.
Awka, Nigeria — The iNews Times | Proceedings in the EEDC N100m lawsuit involving the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and an Anambra-based rights activist, Comrade Osita Obi, have been adjourned to May 25, 2026, by a Federal High Court sitting in Awka.
The court, presided over by Justice Bala Khalifa-Mohammed Usman, fixed the new date to allow parties in the EEDC N100m lawsuit to properly address issues raised before the court, particularly regarding jurisdiction and service of hearing notices.
EEDC had instituted the lawsuit against Obi, seeking damages amounting to one hundred million naira (₦100 million) over actions allegedly connected to a street protest organised by the activist in 2019.
The electricity distribution company alleged that the protest was organised by Obi over what it described as persistent epileptic power supply and other grievances raised by electricity consumers in Anambra State.
At the continuation of proceedings on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, counsel to Comrade Obi, Barrister Martin Obi, informed the court that the defence had earlier filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to entertain the EEDC N100m lawsuit.
He also stated that the plaintiff had subsequently responded to the objection.
The defence further informed the court that hearing notices for the proceedings had not been served on some of the parties involved in the case.
According to the defence counsel, the failure to serve the notices reflects a lack of diligent prosecution of the EEDC N100m lawsuit by the plaintiff.
Following the submissions, the court adjourned further proceedings in the EEDC N100m lawsuit to May 25, 2026, to enable all parties properly address the issues raised before it.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the session, counsel to the first defendant, Barrister Martin Obi, insisted that the plaintiff had no sustainable cause of action against his client.
According to him, for a suit to be validly instituted, there must be a clear and legally recognisable cause of action.
He described the protest organised by his client as a peaceful demonstration protected under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The protest organised by the first defendant was a peaceful one, which is recognised and protected by the Constitution,” he said.
Barrister Obi further argued that the Federal High Court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the EEDC N100m lawsuit, insisting that the plaintiff, being a private company, does not fall within the category of entities whose disputes are constitutionally assigned to the Federal High Court.
He cited Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which defines the specific and exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
“The plaintiff is not a Federal Government agency, and the defendants are also not Federal Government agencies,” he said.
“Unlike the State High Court, which is a court of unlimited jurisdiction, the Federal High Court is a specialised court with limited but exclusive jurisdiction clearly defined under Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The case is expected to resume on May 25, when the court will further consider arguments surrounding jurisdiction and other legal issues raised in the EEDC N100m lawsuit.
